Our Climate Transition

By Natalie Popovich · March 25, 2020

On behalf of Our Climate’s Board of Directors, I'm writing to inform you that our Executive Director, Page Atcheson, will be stepping down from her position this summer. Page has contributed immensely to the character and growth of the organization, and we are saddened to see her go. Over these coming months, a search committee comprised of board and staff members will find a new Executive Director to lead the organization’s next chapter.

Page and her husband are excited to be expecting a baby in late June. After much thought and reflection, she decided that this natural transition point provided an opportunity to support new leadership to take the organization forward. Page’s leadership has positioned Our Climate well for this transition: we are financially healthy, we have an exceptional staff team, and we have many committed and visionary young leaders.

Page hit the ground running even before Our Climate (then Oregon Climate) officially hired her in 2014. After one auspicious phone call with Our Climate’s co-founder, Camila, she picked up her entire life to move to Oregon to mobilize young people for climate action. Before she had a home or a reliable paycheck, Page was traveling all over the state, her dog Nala faithfully in tow, energizing rural counties around carbon pricing.

After two years of on-the-ground mobilizing, Page stepped up as Executive Director in 2016. Under her leadership, Our Climate has metamorphosed from a motley crew in Portland into a national organization with campaigns in 6 states, 9 employees, hundreds of fellows and an annual budget ten times larger than when she started.

Her relentless commitment to create opportunities for our staff and youth leaders to advance climate legislation created a contagious energy that motivated all of us to be our best selves. The seeds of dedication that she planted in the organization in the early years have now blossomed into a full-fledged youth movement. Page's unwavering commitment to personal development, fostering healthy processes, and skill in communicating has grown Our Climate from an energetic group to an effective and powerful team. While Page will be dearly missed, the foundation that she helped lay is stronger than ever and we are well-prepared to deliver policy wins in 2020 and beyond.

It is with tremendous excitement for Page that we usher her into this new stage of her life. In this time of personal, organizational, and global transformation, our Board and staff are working together to ensure that Our Climate continues to empower youth to advocate for bold and equitable climate action in a world that needs systemic change now more than ever before.

We have opened our search for a new Executive Director to join the Our Climate team. The job description can be found here, and we encourage interested candidates to apply. We will host an informational webinar about the position and the application process in early April. Please reach out to the ED Search Committee with any questions or referrals at EDSearchCommittee@ourclimate.us.

We are thrilled to embark on this next chapter of Our Climate, working with you to implement equitable climate policy solutions that build a livable world.